Medieval Lives at Stake: Leprosy

The Black Death contains much grey areas and information varies based on critics due to factors such as insufficient amount of primary accounts. (Atlas, 2009, p. 250). However, along with the endless amount of death, whether or not all of them could be accounted to in effect of the Black Death according to these critics, leprosy contains much more factual information that leads to a reconsideration of how individuals looked at illnesses at in Medieval England, and specifically the treatment and hospital formation.

Medieval society viewed this disease quite differently, even though the effects could be horrific including skin lesions and raised tumors. In fact, “Leprosy never spread rapidly because a majority in any population grouphave a natural immunity to the disease” (Miller & Smith-Sage, 2006, p. 26). Additionally, at this time the health of individuals was not only at stake, but also was handled differently than during Black Death epidemic and more solutions were available.

Miller & Smith-Sage, the International Social Science Review, argue the significant of fully understanding this disease and not the myths associated with it. These critics stress how individuals, specifically Christian Society’s, criticized the help given to those suffering from leprosy. Additionally, these critics provide valuable insights about the formation of medieval hospices at this time to specifically care for these individuals, which further proves a significant increase in health care.   

Another crucial aspect of the health care advancement that is often criticized is the isolation of those who had leprosy from society; however, Victoria Sweet’s review on Leprosy in Medieval England by Carole Rawcliffe ultimately defends the need to the isolation. Sweet indicates, “Themedieval policy toward leprosy demonstrated that isolation could be aneffective solution for dealing with infectious illness” (Sweet, 2008, p. 476). Therefore, one must take into consideration the need for this successful intervention. Additionally, the establishment of the medieval leper hospital only further protected society, which is also seen in today’s society. The establishment of these health care entities created a great amount of progress for these individuals and furthermore, defends the treatment of leprosy was not a form of punishment, but a form of protection in hospice of a leper hospital to protect all medieval individuals. Further details in this scholar’s review examine additionally the medieval practices inside the hospitals and goes into explaining the process of being admitted to a hospital as not mandatory, and extremely regulated. Ultimately, with leprosy in Medieval England the establishment of necessary and successful care, such as hospices, was established.